My Portfolio

Nike launched the Find Your Greatness Ad Campaign as a motivational advertisement for their company. I love the clean simple but bold design they created for each of these advertisements. There is a really good use of contrast created and the typography ads to the overall strong picture created. The ad portrays a message that makes you want to go out and see what you can do.

I really loved this project because it helped me to put together everything I have learned over the semester and see what I could do.

My mother loves bright colors and astrology. So when I looked at the target audience I tried designing something that would be geared towards my mother since she would fall into that group. I hoped to create a simpler but eye catching design with good contrast to appeal to my viewers.

Audience:

Married woman from the age of 55 to 64 with a high school education were the demographic I was supposed to be targeting. These individuals were to have an income of 60,000-80,000 a year with a media consumption of magazines and blogs. The product being advertised was a whisk and I chose to use Pampered Chef as my brand.

Magazine:

Color and Contrast:

Both pink and white have really good contrast against the darker color of the sky here which help the text to stand out better. I chose those two colors additionally to tie in with the logo for Pampered Chef and create repetition throughout the advertisement. Furthermore, I felt that the brighter colors would appeal more to the age and gender of my demographic without being to overwhelming because it was balanced out by the darker background.

Design:

When I cook I experiment a lot and frequently try new things. I believe that cooking really can be a adventure in itself so that was the message here I tried to convey.

Alignment:

The background picture was lined up with the whisk so that the lighter colors would lead your eyes to it. I left aligned all the text and tried to line up the text with the head, shoulders and knee of the woman.

Blog:

Conclusion:

Although, making this advertisement was not easy for me, I learned so much and had fun. It was interesting to try and focus on having a perspective more like how my mother thinks and I enjoyed the challenge. I really tried to implement simpler but more feminine qualities in my design with both the colors and the images I chose and to create something that would really draw the eye.

Growing up in Alaska I developed a huge love for fishing. Every summer we would go down to Buyers Creek during the salmon run and fish for a couple of days and I have a lot of good memories from that. When I think about fishing I think specifically of my father. This icon set is geared towards his demographic and I designed it with him in mind. This can be seen in my color scheme and the simple practical design of the icons. You will see below the set together along with the 400 pxl and 60 pxl icons.

9 by 6 in

Demographic: As mentioned previously this project was geared towards the demographic of my dad. My target audience was men who enjoy fishing over the age of forty. The colors and style I chose for my icons are focused around this audience.

60 pxl Icons:

Design:

Because this was geared toward maturer men who enjoy the outdoors I tried to keep the design very simple and natural. Each icon is relatively two-dimensional and uses the same black stroke. While not overly realistic the icons are not cartoon-like. The colors are more muted and ones you would probably see in real life. I avoided bright colors that could have been considered feminine or unrealistic. Although, the colors are not ones that would stand out very well by themselves, the orange, black, and white create good contrast with each other which helps draw the eye of the viewer to the icons. Furthermore, the colors were used to create a pattern throughout each of the icons. All of the icons share the same black and orange coloring. The stroke also helps show the relation between the icons because, as previously mentioned, they all share the same exact black stroke. In addition, the icons are also all filled instead of being just outlines.

400 pxl Icons:

Conclusion:

I hoped to connect with people like my dad through these icons. My dad loves fishing and like any good fisher, he knows how important his tools are for the task. He does not care what these tools look like just so long as they are effective. With this in mind I tried to create simple practical looking icons geared around a fisherman theme. During this project I learned to think from the perspective of another person as I tried to make a design most appealing to my demographic. I believe I accomplished this trough muted natural colors with good contrast, and simple realistic design.

During the October 1988 General Conference President Ezra Taft Benson gave a talk, To the Single Adult Sisters of the Church, specifically addressed to the single sisters of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. In his address he counseled them to be actively engaged in the church and their communities. President Benson explained that the single sisters were in a unique position to be an example and help those around them. As they searched for opportunities to serve and develop their relationship with the Lord, he promised they would be blessed with all that Heavenly Father had in store for them. The talk can be found at https://www.lds.org/general-conference/1988/10/to-the-single-adult-sisters-of-the-church?lang=eng.

I hoped to portray the message that single sisters need to be actively engaged which President Benson gave in my magazine cover. Furthermore, I wanted to send a message that single sisters are a strength to the church and are strong individuals. With this in mind my target audience was single LDS women between the ages of twenty and thirty. I tried to create a simpler, more sophisticated look with my design. The colors all have good contrast but are not particularly bright or flashy. I avoided colors often geared toward younger girls because I wanted this magazine spread directed toward women. The I tried to have a more practical look with my typography but still keep it slightly feminine with the heading and subtitles. Everything is left aligned, again to lend to a strong look.

Magazine Cover

Design Behind First Page

I chose this cover photo because I felt like it portrayed the dilemma faced by many single women. They have two ways to look at life; either they are alone and isolated, or their position is an opportunity for growth, adventure and learning completely unique to their situation. The rest of the design was meant to work with the picture. Blue is one of my main colors because it has good contrast with the photograph and also ties in with the mountain in the background. Black became the second color because it also contrasts well and is therefore easy to read. The serif font for the title and subheadings and a sans serif font for the rest of the text were also chosen to make the magazine easy to read and because I felt like simpler text went well with the theme. All the text in this project is left aligned both to create repetition and because I felt it would give a cleaner look.

Design Behind Second and Third Pages

On the next two pages I continued using the blue and the serif font for subtitles and black sans serif for some of the other text to create repetition with the first page and also with the blue dress of the girl praying. I added in the color white on these two pages to help with contrast. All of the images in this project additionally have a text wrap. Each photo on these pages specifically relates to the message on the page with the first being about marriage and love and the second about relationships with Heavenly Father.

Photography

By: KayReah Warner

By: KayReah Warner

By: KayReah Warner

Every person placed on this Earth has unique opportunities to contribute. As individuals do their best to reach out to those around them and come closer to the Lord they receive His strength and blessings. The single sisters of the church are no different. I hoped to create a design that would emphasize the message President Ezra Taft Benson gave that each single sister was a unique, strong individual who should not waste her talents waiting for something to happen or change. Instead she should be actively using her abilities to pursue the blessings of the Lord and help those around her in ways only she was capable of.

Using three different photographic elements a picture is better able to capture and keep the attention a viewer. The three photographers Emily Hancock, Nigel Willsbrowne, and Christopher Martin all use these elements to draw the viewer into their photos. After analyzing their use of leading lines, depth of field and the rule of thirds in the following photographs, I better understood how these principles worked and their purpose. My pictures in this post are an attempt to replicate the same elements.

Depth of Field:

Emily Hancock is one of my favorite photographers, perhaps because she mostly photographs one of my favorite subjects, horses. Teaching seminars about horse photography and being a camera for hire in the equestrian community, Hancock has learned to master the difficult art of capturing a creature that often does not cooperate. She often uses the Rule of Thirds and Depth of Field in her pictures. More examples of her style can be found on her blog at http://www.trainingbarn.co.uk/.

By: Emily Hancock

While the girl and her pony along with the leaves surrounding them are clearly in focus, everything behind has a pleasing blur in this photograph. This technique of focusing on item in a picture effectively communicates to the viewer that the item is the most important part of the picture. Hancock uses depth of field here to ensure that the focal point of the picture remains on the girl and horse, lessening any distraction which might have been created by the background.

Replica Depth of Field:

By: KayReah Warner

In this picture I tried creating a focus on the tree like Hancock did with the girl and pony in her photo. In this way I created depth of field which draws the eyes to the tree since it is the clearest object to be seen. Something I liked about the photo Hancock took and tried to implement in my own, was the background objects which create a picture within a picture affect. These items are more ordinary and clearly not the subject of the picture as they remain in the blurry background but they add interest. She used a pot in her picture and I used a light pole in mine.

Leading Lines:

By: Charlie Magee

After multiple antique cars were discovered tucked away in a tunnel, Charlie Magee was asked to come photograph them. Charlie specializes in cars and looking on his blog at http://charliemageephotography.com/about/ ,one discovers that many of his clients are car brands like Audi and Ferrari. While Magee does not use depth of field in this photo he gives a great deal of depth to it with his use of leading lines. More information about this photo can be found at http://www.ufunk.net/en/photos/urbex-liverpool-old-cars/.

The leading lines in this picture are a little more subtle but they show in the ledges formed in the brick and lead you to two focal points in this picture, the light at the end of the tunnel and the car to the left. I find my eyes tend to follow the lines on the right side of the tunnel to the light and then bounce back following the lines on the left side to the car. Magee did a really good job using leading lines to tie two points of interest together in this photo. The tunnel does a very effective job of drawing the viewer into the photo, making you want to look just a little longer. I also really like the balance created by having the light and the car on two parallel lines with the rule of thirds.

Leading Lines Replica:

By: KayReah Warner

I had a harder time implementing the principle of leading lines but I felt like the board in this picture created an effective lead. The flowers here lie directly within the path of the board helping direct the viewer to the object of the photo. So in a sense the board points the eyes to the flowers and helps the eyes stay on the flowers without distracting the viewer.

Rule of Thirds

Christopher Martin originally did more painting and sketching than photography but eventually turned to photography. He mostly does landscapes in his region of Canada. This picture was taken as he observed a bald eagle hunting rodents in a field. The picture effectively uses both the Rule of Thirds and depth of field to ensure the attention remains on the three birds. I especially love the use of the Rule of Thirds here so that will be the main focus of discussion.

Each of the three birds in the photograph are the edges dividing the picture into thirds. This helps the viewer to look at how the picture is composed instead of focusing on just the center. To expound, instead of just looking at one part of the photo or the center one looks at multiple places and sees more of the whole picture. In addition by placing each of the birds of separate parts of the intersections, Martin creates a balanced look.

Rule of thirds Replica:

By: KayReah Warner

My favorite part of this picture is this ball which is at the intersection of two lines of division and I feel like this helps make it also a center of attention. The main body of the sphinx lines up with the bottom third of the picture adding a alignment and symmetry. In the opposite cross-hairs of thirds from the ball, the face of the sphinx stands out a little better because of its placement.

Summary:

Overall, learning about the Rule of Thirds, leading lines and depth of field both from the photographs I studied and the ones I took really changed the way I see photography. There is an improvement when one uses natural techniques to draw the eyes to the point or points of a photograph. For example, Magee demonstrated this with leading lines form the tunnel in his photo to direct the viewer to both the car and the light in the tunnel. He did not put that tunnel there, he simply used his resources. By changing where you stand, where the camera is pointed or where the camera focuses one can created amazing direction and symmetry in a photograph.

As a result of their campaign dubbed No Cages, Harley Davidson created this advertisement Live Cage Free. The advertisement was found at the URL https://www.hdforums.com/articles/harley-davidson-continues-to-liberate-advertising-creative-and-dogs/ in an article speaking specifically about the No Cages campaign written by IBxAnders. The image specifically showcases the innovative Twin Cam 103 engine as part of their crowd sourcing strategy. Because of its popularity the company can do much of its advertising through its consumers. The No Cages campaign was specifically designed to be consumer pushed.

Typeface 1

For the first phrase in the advertisement a Slab Serif is used. Typical of this style the serifs are slabs and run horizontal. Furthermore, it is readily apparent that blocky lettering uses no thick/thin transition making it easier to see from further away and avoiding the typical fence post problem that occurs with lettering like modern when seen at a distance. Although all capital letters can hinder readability, in this ad the caps give emphasis and since the phrase is short it does not make reading difficult.

Typeface 2

As with the first phrase the second also uses all caps for the lettering. However, the bottom line possesses the characteristics of Sans Serif. There are no serifs visible in this phrase just like with any of the Sans Serifs family. This typeface also lacks any thick to thin transition, meaning the lettering is completely monoweight or everything has the same weight. Although, the slanted style of the letters marks it as unusual because while Sans Serif can be italicized, it is not a defining feature for the category of type.

Contrast

Although both typefaces share similar features like the all capitals they do not conflict because they have enough contrasting elements. For example, the first typeface is Slab Serif while the second is San Serif. While the first possesses bulky serifs the second does not have any serifs. In addition, the Slab Serif in this particular advertisement uses a much heavier weight than the relatively light San Serif being portrayed here. Further contrast is created simply with the drastic differences in size with the two typefaces which helps emphasize their separate style. Overall, despite similarities the two typefaces display a pleasing contrast with each other in the Live Cage Free advertisement.

Conclusion

Despite the simplicity displayed with the Live Cage Free Harley-Davidson advertisement a good use of typefaces and contrast with the lettering ensures that the words on the picture add meaning without being overpowering. The text uses two different type faces to create contrasting elements. The first typeface is a Slab Sans with chunky lettering and serifs running horizontal. Showcasing large lettering with a heavy weight and no transition in thick to thin, it fulfill its purpose of grabbing the vision of the viewer primarily and being readable from a distance. In contrast, the small and italicized Sans Serif works well for the bottom line because it draws less attention and is more readable in than the other typeface when there are more words. The Harley Davidson ad effectively portrays good usage of typography using simple typefaces which nonetheless do a good job adding to the picture.

The use of alignment in this ad helps direct the eyes in a specific way. On the right everything follows a slanted displacement, each item moves just a little farther to the right leading you from left to right in a downward direction. Additionally, all of the text is left aligned giving a clean balanced look.

Proximity

All of the text in the advertisement is grouped according to similarities. Furthermore, the most important text is found at the top of the image, the second most important is close by ensuring that the reader views them first before perhaps seeing the image towards the bottom. Additionally, the text which is least important visually is the farthest away from the other text. The text at the bottom is out of the way of the other elements but is easily found.

Repetition

There are two main colors throughout the advertisement and they play a prominent role in the repetition. Red and white seem to take turns in placement within the ad. If working from the inside out, red comes first, then white, followed by red, and then white again. Repetition also takes place with the white rectangle frame within the red rectangle frame.

Contrast

Almost every element becomes quite distinct because of the strong contrast of white and red. The only two parts of the advertisement that do not use this contrast are the words found in the middle. Although they are still visible their contrast is not as strong as the red on the white perhaps to keep attention to the other parts or to draw attention to them because they are different from the rest of the advertisement. Even within those two phrases grouped together upper line helps the lower stand out because it has less contrast with the white background making the lower line appear more important.

Color

Only two colors appear to be prominent, making this advertisement look a little simpler and cleaner. The red text at the top and the red man on the bottom help to draw the viewer in to the middle of the page and focus on the two main ideas. The colors do not overwhelm and compliment each other well.

The Design Work advertisement is very simple and the space is open and without clutter or confusion. The overall, image presented is very organized and everything looks like it was done intentionally and thoughtfully.The placement of the different elements really directs the viewer to follow the idea of the ad. The colors and contrast used also help to draw the focus to the most important elements without being overwhelmingly bright or dark making it feel balanced. To conclude the advertisement effectively used all five parts of design to portray the message of the company.

I understood better the importance of this class and its purpose. For example, exposure to the different communication emphasis’s appears to be key feature of this class. I am really excited to hear from all the different speakers and learn more about this major.

Jan 12th,

I felt like I learned more about the different areas of study for communication. I did not realize before how varied this particular major is. Furthermore, I was able to better understand the different applications for communications. In addition, it was easier to see why communication is so important.

Jan 19th,

I loved learning about journalism. Brother Williams answered a few questions I have had about this particular form of writing. The things taught really applied to my writing for careers class that I am taking right now. It was really helpful to learn how to write concisely and to make my writing more interesting. Furthermore, I felt like I understood a little better what is expected of me in my writing class, nutgrafs make more sense now!

Jan 26th,

This is not my major but it was awesome to learn about. It was really interesting to see a little of the behind the scenes stuff that I normally do not think about. I did not know that there is so much multitasking required for that job. It is really amazing how much so few people can accomplish. I learned that it is very important to be good at a lot of things not just good at one thing.

Feb 2nd,

I learned a lot about the importance of a good presentation of whatever you want to sell whether it is a product or a cause. There are many applications for this emphasis in every part of the workforce. I really enjoyed the emphasis on how everyone can be creative. I do not view myself as artistic so that was nice to hear. I tend to avoid all things technology but I learned today that whether I like it or I really do need some of those skills to be successful.

Feb 9th,

This presentation was on my major so I have been anticipating it all semester. Sister Hansen did a really good job laying out the pros and cons of this emphasis. She really helped me to see that there is a lot more to it than meets the eye and it requires a lot of work. However, I also learned about the countless ways I could apply the skills I am going to acquire. I felt like I better understood what my major means and I loved that she used such a simple way to define it that it entails supporting or pushing a cause for others in a way they maybe could not have done on their own.

Feb 16th,

I did not know that public relations did so any presentations. I knew that they worked with the public and that was about it. I think it was amazing how much they are able to teach people and inform them. This major could really apply to so many things. I learned that it can even be applied to non profit causes which I thought was super cool. I really was interested in how he taught the importance of being a well rounded person so that better relations could be formed in a career.

Feb 23rd,

It was interesting to lean about how many different forms advertising can take. I enjoyed seeing some of the reasoning behind this kind of work. I also loved the super bowl video discussion because I had not very much about how that particular ad was encouraging a certain brand. I really came to better understand the different tie ins that advertising uses to sell a product or cause. I also learned that ads by the government are free.